Kyler Murray’s Hail Mary Gives the Cardinals the Win Over the Bills
17 November 2020
By: Paulina Vairo
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It was a thrilling ending in Glendale as the Cardinals hosted the Bills at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Both teams were looking to take the lead in their divisions. It was also a battle of young quarterbacks with Kyler Murray being 23-years-old and Josh Allen being 24-years-old.
Arizona put points on the board first with a 23-yard kick from Zane Gonzalez. The Bills responded with a 12-yard touchdown catch from wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie to put the Bills on the board early. It was 7-3 by the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter was filled with field goals as Gonzalez made a 42-yard and 21-yard field goal while Bills’ kicker Tyler Bass made a 54-yard, 55-yard and 58-yard field goal. This put the Bills in the lead 16-9 at the end of the first half.
Three minutes into the third quarter Allen threw a 22-yard pass to wide receiver Cole Beasley to give the Bills a comfortable 14-point lead. Allen ended the game with 32 completions, 284 passing yards, two touchdown passes and two interceptions. The Cardinals eventually took the lead at the end of the third quarter with two rushing touchdowns by Murray and a field goal by Gonzalez. Murray had a great game, with 22 completions, 245 passing yards, one touchdown pass and two rushing touchdowns.
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The last minute of the game was the most exciting minute so far this season. With :34 seconds on the clock Josh Allen made a great throw to wide receiver Stefon Diggs to give the Bills the go ahead lead. It
Buffalo Bills kicker Tyler Bass kicked for 167 yards in just the second quarter during Sunday’s game (Photo Credit: Ross D. Franklin: NBC Sports)
looked like it was game over for the Cardinals, until Murray’s spectacular four-play 75-yard drive. With :02 left on the clock Murray threw a 43-yard Hail Mary pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and with three Bills defenders covering him, managed to catch the ball for the game winning touchdown. The game ended 32-30 as the Cardinals took a huge win.
Many top notch athletes reacted to Hopkins play, including LeBron James who tweeted “WOW WOW WOW!! HOP! HOP! HOP! @DeAndreHopkins My bro different!” He also got love from former Giants quarterback Eli Manning who retweeted the catch and quoted “There are only a select few of us that can make a play like this! Ha”
This win was extremely important for the Cardinals as the Bills are a potential playoff team. Hopkins says this catch was the best of his young career so far. “This one is No. 1,” said Hopkins to ESPN. “It was to win the game, no question, against a playoff opponent.”
Murray also reacted to his play, as he said this moment was one of the best in his career as he has never thrown a successful Hail Mary pass before. “I really have a lot of moments in my life but this one, none can compare. I’ve never done a Hail Mary before,” said Murray according to the Bleacher Report.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury praised Murray after his play and claims it was one of the best plays in his career. “It has to be the biggest one of his career,” said Kingsbury to ESPN. “He’s phenomenal. You know, I went out of that game last week regretting we didn’t get to him in crunch time or try to get it to him in crunch time. We had a good talk this week. And I’ve never been a part of one of those so still kind of at a loss for words, but what a phenomenal play”.
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With this win, the Cardinals are in a three-way tie for first place in the NFC West with the Rams upsetting the Seahawks on Sunday. They will host the Seahawks in a crucial game for first place on
DeAndre Hopkins managing to catch the throw from Murray with three defenders on him to win the game (Photo Credit: Christian Peterson/Getty Images)
Thursday Night Football. The Bills, however still remain in first place even with the Dolphins taking their fifth win in a row. They will have a bye next week and play against the Broncos at Mile High on Thanksgiving weekend.
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(Article can also be seen on https://thegamehaus.com/nfl/kyler-murrays-hail-mary-gives-the-cardinals-the-win-over-the-bills/2020/11/17/ )